Hersham man keeps power flowing for 40 years
A power worker from Hersham has had his long service with the electricity industry recognised by his employer, UK Power Networks.
The company which keeps electricity flowing to 8.3 million homes and businesses across the South East, London and East of England invites employees who have given 40 years of continuous service to join a special 40-plus club.
Gareth Nicholls, 56, from Hersham, joined the electricity industry aged 16 as an apprentice electrician and took on a range of roles before his current job as area manager for the Croydon and Kingston areas.
Today, he manages a team of 112 engineering experts who complete maintenance, connections and fault repairs to maintain reliable electricity supplies for thousands of local homes and businesses.
After a four-year apprenticeship in a variety of skills he became a domestic electrician, installing storage heaters and burglar alarms. He progressed to being an emergency responder on the network, a cable jointer, fault engineer, lead field engineer, operations manager, then area manager.
He said: “It is great to be part of a really good team. The reason I became a manager is I wanted to make a difference. I could see things that could be improved and wanted to influence that. I strive to make sure our area performs well for our customers.
“Our customer service scores are 93% and there are good things going on in this business. The industry has changed massively and we are very safety conscious.
“It’s a great place to work. If you are good at your job and do what you are supposed to do our craftspeople can still have a job for life. The opportunities are endless and like me, you can join as an apprentice and become a senior manager.
“I recommend youngsters consider joining an industry like ours. There are always going to be interesting challenges on the horizon. We are going to be supplying electricity for all the electric vehicles which will connect to our networks.”
Outside work, Gareth is friends with colleagues and former employees who regularly go fishing together as part of a social network.
Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UK Power Networks, said: “We take this opportunity to recognise the commitment and dedication of our longest-serving employees, who have served their local communities for decades. The last 18 months have been an unprecedented time and I am grateful to all of our staff for their key role in keeping power flowing and enabling people to go about their daily lives, while preparing the networks for an exciting low carbon future.”
The company has 464 employees with over 40 years’ service. A total of 43 staff across the South East, London and East of England reached their 40th or 50th milestone this year.
In addition to career development for existing staff, UK Power Networks continues to run apprenticeships, including 21 new apprentices who joined the business in September.
1981 factfile:
• Lady Diana Spencer married the Prince of Wales
• London Marathon was first held
• NASA launched Columbia, the very first Space Shuttle mission
• A pint of beer cost about 51p
• Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year
• Pope John Paul II survived a gunshot assassination attempt
• Ronald Reagan became US President
• Greenham Common protests
• Muhammad Ali retires with career record of 55 wins and five defeats
The company which keeps electricity flowing to 8.3 million homes and businesses across the South East, London and East of England invites employees who have given 40 years of continuous service to join a special 40-plus club.
Gareth Nicholls, 56, from Hersham, joined the electricity industry aged 16 as an apprentice electrician and took on a range of roles before his current job as area manager for the Croydon and Kingston areas.
Today, he manages a team of 112 engineering experts who complete maintenance, connections and fault repairs to maintain reliable electricity supplies for thousands of local homes and businesses.
After a four-year apprenticeship in a variety of skills he became a domestic electrician, installing storage heaters and burglar alarms. He progressed to being an emergency responder on the network, a cable jointer, fault engineer, lead field engineer, operations manager, then area manager.
He said: “It is great to be part of a really good team. The reason I became a manager is I wanted to make a difference. I could see things that could be improved and wanted to influence that. I strive to make sure our area performs well for our customers.
“Our customer service scores are 93% and there are good things going on in this business. The industry has changed massively and we are very safety conscious.
“It’s a great place to work. If you are good at your job and do what you are supposed to do our craftspeople can still have a job for life. The opportunities are endless and like me, you can join as an apprentice and become a senior manager.
“I recommend youngsters consider joining an industry like ours. There are always going to be interesting challenges on the horizon. We are going to be supplying electricity for all the electric vehicles which will connect to our networks.”
Outside work, Gareth is friends with colleagues and former employees who regularly go fishing together as part of a social network.
Basil Scarsella, chief executive of UK Power Networks, said: “We take this opportunity to recognise the commitment and dedication of our longest-serving employees, who have served their local communities for decades. The last 18 months have been an unprecedented time and I am grateful to all of our staff for their key role in keeping power flowing and enabling people to go about their daily lives, while preparing the networks for an exciting low carbon future.”
The company has 464 employees with over 40 years’ service. A total of 43 staff across the South East, London and East of England reached their 40th or 50th milestone this year.
In addition to career development for existing staff, UK Power Networks continues to run apprenticeships, including 21 new apprentices who joined the business in September.
1981 factfile:
• Lady Diana Spencer married the Prince of Wales
• London Marathon was first held
• NASA launched Columbia, the very first Space Shuttle mission
• A pint of beer cost about 51p
• Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year
• Pope John Paul II survived a gunshot assassination attempt
• Ronald Reagan became US President
• Greenham Common protests
• Muhammad Ali retires with career record of 55 wins and five defeats
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